The Question About Land Toxicity and Astoria Cove

Over the weekend we came across an article by the Queens Chronicle about the issue of the toxicity of the land Astoria Cove is to be built on. The environmental quality of this whole area is not something to be taken lightly—I mean, who wants to live on toxic land?

According to the article, Stephen Benavides, director of research for Laborers’ Local 78 stated, “In 2012, there were two ongoing investigations on the land, one conducted by the [Environmental Protection Agency] and the other by [the Department of Environmental Conservation].” But later in the article it states, “The DEC could not confirm the existence or status of the investigation.” No mention about the status of the EPA’s investigaion. At the recent CB1 Meeting, someone did ask about the environmental element, but she did not receive an answer because apparently time ran out.

Back to Benavides, he says that the two agencies were investigating Tri-State Cleaning Solutions, which is currently known as ALR. Asbestos and illegal dumping is involved in the area.

Current status: “Benavides and Build Up NYC — an advocacy group that promotes responsible development — are asking CB 1, City Planning and the Astoria Cove developers to seek an independent assessment of the entire site.” That said, apparently it’s not bad enough to be classified as a brownfield which perhaps is a bit of a silver lining.

What do you think? Do you believe the land is toxic? Or are people getting riled up for nothing? Is it something we should even worry about? Let us know your opinion with a comment or a tweet!

Could Astoria Cove project land be toxic? [Queens Chronicle]